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People are brilliant

I’ve said this before, more than once, on this blog, but it’s the kind of thing that bears repeating.

People are brilliant.

I was feeling a bit glum this morning about a few setbacks that my business has suffered lately. I’m British, so I suppose I should have been more stiff-upper-lip-about it, but I’m also (just, by some definitions, the ones that are quite generous) a millennial, so instead I whinged about it on Facebook. I headed for one of my wonderful, brilliant editors groups and told them how I was feeling. And they, like the wonderful, brilliant people they are, were there with words of encouragement, support and advice. They’ve all been there, and they’ve all come through the other side, just like they’ve convinced me I will.

It’s been hard for me at times, the solitude of freelance life. I used to work for a company with the most fantastically social atmosphere. I met people there who will be my friends for life, and they made going to work a joy, even when things were rough. I feel amazingly lucky to have found another tribe, another warm and friendly community where even in such a competitive industry, everyone is so willing to help each other out.

This feels like no small thing, especially in a week like this one. We’ve seen the absolute worst of people, but also, in a million different ways, every day, it’s easy to find the best.